Many people look at the Washington Nationals’ record and think that the season was a failure. With a 71-91, playoff missing record, the Nationals finished last place in the NL East. However, the record does not show the whole story of the season.
First, the Nationals began to see the benefits of trading away superstar Juan Soto in that two bright young players Mackenzie Gore and C.J. Abrams were showing how they can contribute to the team. Gore proved himself as an eventual power pitcher this season with a 1.40 WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched), which is good for a young pitcher. Shortstop C.J. Abrams was the brightest spot on the team, posting a .245 batting average with 18 home runs. All in all, it was a great rookie season for Abrams as he showed incredible promise. As Nationals manager Davey Martinez said, “He’s going to be something else, so he’s done well.” He is already being viewed as a future cornerstone of the franchise, along with another pitcher, Josiah Gray.
Gray was the National’s only All Star player in 2023. “I was shocked,” he noted. I He was the best pitcher for the Nationals, and will most certainly be in the All Star game for years to come. He struck out 143 batters in 2023, the most since future hall of famer Max Scherzer (243) in 2019 during the Nationals’ World Series championship run. Other notable players include 31 year old Joey Meneses (.275 BA), 28 year old Lane Thomas (.268 BA, 28 HR), and reliever Kyle Finnegan (28 saves).
So what does this mean for the future of the team? Will the team return to its glory days of 2012-2019? The answer to these questions lies in the offseason. Through trading away blockbuster players, the Nats have put themselves in a position where they have tons of draft picks as well as plenty of young talent in the minor leagues ready to come up to the bigs as early as spring training in February. Because of this influx in young talent, the Nationals could use these draft picks as well as the money they won’t be spending on a Juan Soto contract to sign players that maybe could turn the tide from a rebuild to a postseason contending baseball team. They recently let go veteran first baseman Dominic Smith after a subpar season, and this could be to make way for a first baseman signing. There is plenty of first baseman talent in the 2023-24 offseason, chief among them power hitting stars Rhys Hoskins and Joey Gallo. With the rebuild in full swing, the Nationals will certainly be a team to watch in this offseason. They have some of the best prospects in the league and in a couple seasons this team can transform themselves from a 90 loss team in 2022 to a league threat for years to come.
